Hiwot
2023

Hintsa Rudman’s debut collection ‘Hiwot’ is composed of many fragments; an assemblage of the things that have influenced and informed the designers - the places, homes, people and objects that have defined their worlds, both separately and together. 

Combining European aesthetics with Eritrean culture, Hintsa Rudman takes a layered and cross-cultural approach, and for their first collection, the designers return to their childhoods - collecting and combining souvenirs of summers past.

For Azamit, holidays were spent with her grandparents in Asmara, the capital city of Eritrea - and a playground for Italian architects throughout the 20th century, who built numerous Deco and Modernist masterpieces. A place of great beauty, Azamit’s artistic vision incorporates the same mix of expressionist, rationalist, futurist and cubist elements that populate the city. For Francis, summers were spent with his grandparents in the French and English countryside, surrounded by antiques and heirlooms that had been passed from generation to generation - designs with a timeless appeal.

An expression of this heritage, the collection weaves together two distinct yet overlapping histories. Named after Azamit’s grandmother, ‘Hiwot’ translates from Ge’ez to mean ‘life’ - and is thus a fitting choice to mark the launch of the brand, and its first collection.